Page 96 of Journey to the Elderoak
She chanced a glance over her shoulder. It was gaining on her. Willing her legs faster, she pushed herself as hard as she could. Twenty yards to go.
Her foot caught on a root and she tumbled forward, shouting in surprise as she slammed into the bridge. The iron taste of blood filled her mouth, lip busted open on a sharp root.
She rolled over, scrambling to rise as the creature scurried faster, thirty feet away at most. Casimir bellowed her name as a root wrapped around her waist and hoisted her into the air. The creature jumped for her and she screamed, trying to reach her sword.
The bridge behind the monster folded in on itself, making acage around the creature and pulling it into the water. The root tossed her the rest of the way to shore, and she landed with a thud on the hard earth.
Ava got to her hands and knees and wheezed, trying to take a breath. That was much too close. She turned her head to Casimir who was panting on the other side of the lake.
“Are you alright?” he yelled.
She gave him a thumbs up as she rose from the ground, slowing her breathing with her hands laced behind her head. Eyes closed, she took a moment to steady herself.
Ava opened her eyes and looked at Casimir. Her soulbond. Her destined one.
Her heart swelled as the warrior regarded her with steel in his eyes and determination on his face. He dipped his chin and she returned the gesture, squaring her shoulders. It was time.
Turning away, she walked into the woods.
29
The forest was dark, only lit by minuscule luminescent fungi on the bark and the glowing plants scattered among the roots. Ava unsheathed her sword, preparing for any horrid beings residing within these woods. It was light in her hand and she swung it around, getting used to its feel. Perfect. Like it was made for her.
Warmth bloomed in her chest at the connection she felt with her mother through the cold metal. Her mother’s sword. Now in Ava’s hand.
She’s here with me. And so is everyone else, she reminded herself as she pressed on.
Her eyes darted around as she picked her way through the trees when the shrubs trembled and began to move. Halting, she watched, scanning for a threat, when a small path appeared out of nowhere, giving her room to walk between the dense underbrush.
Strange, she wondered.
As she continued on the footpath, the trees changed. No longer bright green and teeming with life, the trunks were weathered and gray, topped with glossy black leaves. Theyloomed over her, an ominous warning of what she would face. Glowing blue flowers hung from vines wrapped around their branches, providing a hint of light. There were no creatures, no insects or other animals moving about. It was silent.
She was alone.
Truly alone for the first time since she parted ways with Remy after escaping her imprisonment. She hadn’t realized how comforting the presence of her new friends—her new family—had been until now. Alone most of her life, she had found her true home in Mosshaven and she ached to be back with them. To be back with Casimir.
A faint hissing whispered through the trees around her. Gripping her sword tighter, she searched for the source of the noise.
The volume increased and Ava prepared herself for a creature to come racing at her from the darkness. She kept walking, looking high and low, when tendrils of an eerie fog reached for her. Vaporous fingers emerged from the forest, blanketing the ground so thickly, she couldn’t see her feet.
Some type of mist.
There was nowhere to go to escape the haze, now swirling mid-thigh and rising still. Trapped in the twisting vapor, she froze, as if allowing it to touch her flesh would harm her.
What if it’s poison?
Within a few minutes she was enveloped, unable to see her hand in front of her face. This was worse than the mist in the bog, denser and thicker. She couldn’t see anything at all besides the thick white clouds.
“Shit,” she murmured, unsure what to do.
She had to keep going.
Ava walked with her hands in front of her, feeling for any obstacles. The toe of her boot caught on a root and she slammed into the ground, a sudden sharp pain in her forehead.The warmth of blood trickled down her face as her head throbbed in rhythm with her heart.
“Dammit.”
How was she supposed to get to the tree if she couldn’t see anything?
